Its hamachi was shipped daily from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market. Its menu featured sautéed tofu skin, whole deep-fried quail, skewered chicken hearts, and wild mushroom kamameshi. There was yakitori -- meats skewered on bamboo sticks and cooked over slow-burning binchotan coals. It was one of the best restaurants reviewed last year.

But now, owner Jeffrey Chen has sold the restaurant, and the once-thrilling menu has been replaced with more ordinary fare: dragon rolls, chicken teriyaki, and miso soup.

It's a stark contrast to Chen's style of cookery, which can still be savored at nearby Momi Ramen. At his noodle shop, he proffers the best ramen in Miami. Noodles are made fresh daily in-house. His tonkotsu broth -- made by simmering pork bones and chicken for 18 hours -- is a rich, tawny, perfect liquid.

And thankfully, that remains unchanged. "Jeffrey is cooking up at Momi [Ramen] every day. If you'd like to see him, he's at Momi noon to 3 a.m.," says Yu.